THE REPUBLIC vs. NII ADAMAH THOMPSON AND OTHERS EX-PARTE NII TETTEH AHINAKWAH II [2012]DLSC2609

Date	2012-02-15
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J8/92/2011
Citation No.	[2012]DLSC2609

AKUFFO (MS) JSC (PRESIDING)

ANSAH JSC

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC

DOTSE JSC

BONNIE JSC

NII AQUAYE BRUCE-THOMPSON FOR THE APPLICANTS.

ADUMUA BOSSMAN FOR THE RESPONDENT

[2012]DLSC2609
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>NII ADAMAH
THOMPSON AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p>EX-PARTE NII
TETTEH AHINAKWAH II<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL APPEAL NO. J8/92/2011&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DATE: 15TH
FEBRUARY, 2012<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>NII
AQUAYE BRUCE-THOMPSON FOR THE APPLICANTS.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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ADUMUA
BOSSMAN FOR THE RESPONDENT <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p>AKUFFO (MS) JSC (PRESIDING), ANSAH JSC, ADINYIRA
(MRS) JSC, DOTSE JSC , BONNIE JSC<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:150%;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>DOTSE,J.S.C.<o:p></o:p>In
their application, filed on the 2nd day of September 2011 the
applicants herein seek the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Leave to file additional grounds of
appeal,<o:p></o:p>ii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Leave for extension of time to file
amended statement of case and<o:p></o:p>iii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Leave to adduce fresh evidence<o:p></o:p>BACKGROUND FACTS<o:p></o:p>The
application herein has its genesis in an action which commenced in the Judicial
Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs. In that action
judgment was delivered on the 17th day of February 2003, in favour
of the respondent herein which inter alia, ordered the Applicants herein to
handover stool regalia of the Gbese Stool to the Respondents.<o:p></o:p>Following
the failure and or refusal of the applicants herein to comply with the orders
of the Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs to
deliver the stool regalia, the respondent herein, took steps to have them
committed for contempt of court.<o:p></o:p>The
High Court, Accra presided over by Dzakpasu J accordingly convicted the
Applicants herein of contempt. An appeal lodged by the Applicants against their
conviction for contempt to the Court of Appeal was by a unanimous decision of
the court dismissed on the 19th November 2009.<o:p></o:p>Aggrieved
by the decision of the Court of Appeal, the Applicants on the 1st of
December 2009 filed an appeal against the said decision. <o:p></o:p>The
instant application should therefore be understood as one seeking to add the
additional grounds of appeal to those already filed, seek leave for extension
of time to amend the statement of case to reflect the additional grounds of appeal
and leave to adduce fresh evidence. <o:p></o:p>We
will now deal separately with each of the reliefs being applied for:<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; LEAVE
TO FILE ADDITIONAL GROUNDS OF APPEAL<o:p></o:p>In
arguing this application, learned Counsel for the Applicants, Nii Akwei Bruce
Thompson stated that there is a jurisdictional issue which is germane to the
substance of the suit being commenced before the Judicial Committee of the
Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs and not before the Judicial Committee of
the Ga Traditional Council.<o:p></o:p>The
two additional grounds of appeal that Applicants seek leave to add to the
original grounds have been stated as follows:<o:p></o:p>(16)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
whole judgment of the Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of
Chiefs sought to be</main>